This invention is an improved seat for use on mud or similar soft surfaces. The most common application for this type of seat is for duck hunting in a marsh. Over the years many inventions have attempted to address the need for an effective seat for duck hunting. U.S. Pat. No. 9,301,614 (Christopher) provides a review of the wide range of prior inventions attempting to address this need. Use of a seat on a soft surface like mud is a very different use than on a hard surface, and rarely, if ever, would a chair that is suitable for a hard surface also be suitable for use on a soft surface. A completely different approach to seat design is necessary for these different surfaces.
The novel element of this invention is a unique approach to the base of the seat—where the seat structure contacts the mud or other soft surface. The prior art solutions have proposed different configurations of seats and vertical posts, but almost all use similar structures where the seat contacts the mud of the marsh. Most use a pointed stake at the end of the vertical post for placement in the mud. A few have expanding “feet” that attempt to stabilize the vertical post in mud. All have limited effectiveness. Several prior inventions, such as those in U.S. Pat. No. 3,381,635 (Pforr) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,870 (Bairen) have suggested a flat base rather than a pointed stake at the base. Even the invention of the Christopher patent attempted to improve the base by using a wider stake profile. But none of these inventions are effective on an uneven, soft mud surface (which may be above or below the water level). A pointed stake inserted into mud, even if it has expanding feet, quickly loosens with side-to-side movement (which is inevitable) and becomes unstable. A flat base is also highly ineffective and unstable on an uneven, soft mud surface.